A Lost Kunoichi
by DianaLefeu
Summary: A loud boom could be heard all across Konoha as an outer wall of the stadium began crashing down. As the smoke cleared three figures could be seen standing within it. With a gleam in her eye, she glanced at her former team with hatred in her eyes as her black hair coloring faded due to the dispelling of the genjutsu, showing her bubblegum pink hair coloring. "Sakura.. You can't be.
1. Chapter 1

Hi ^^

This is my first fanfic writing of Naruto as well as with the characters so please be kind! And depending on how I feel as I continue my writing I may do polling at the end to determine certain factors so please review, favorite, follow and all that other good stuff! ]

Ciao ^^ - Diana

Ch 1

Around one hundred ninja stood in front of Team 7 minutes after they had defeated the infamous Zabuza Mamochi and his teammate Haku. Each Leaf ninja stood, clothes torn and slightly tattered with specks of blood acquired during the long battle. Of the four, the only one that stood completely uninjured was the kunoichi Sakura Haruno.

'I feel completely useless' Sakura thought to herself as she glanced around the near completed bridge that served as a battlefield. Glancing up she looked at each member of her team. Kakashi - vest sliced across his chest with blood stains on it, visually showing that he faced a challenging battle. Both Sasuke and Naruto - hair disheveled with multiple needle marks shown across their skin and clothing, surely not to turn to scars with proper healing.

Then she glanced at herself. Clothes completely intact and fine considering that she had to do nothing but stand in front of the bridge builder as support.

'Heh.. Kakashi thinks he's won cause I've fallen.. With the last of my strength I'll show him what it means to turn your back on an enemy that still breathes.' Zabuza thought as he slowly moved his arm to the hilt of his sword.

Tears began to form slightly at the tip of Sakura's eyes as she thought to herself. 'I'm not help to anyone here. All I do is sit around while both Sasuke and Naruto get stronger, and what am I?! How can I call us a team if they do all the work...'

Just then a scrape of metal interrupted her thoughts as a long metal sword made it's way towards the bridge builder. Turning around, Sakura's eyes grew big as a large sword made its way to both the bridge builder and herself.

Finding her resolve within seconds, she quickly pulled the bridge builder forward onto his stomach as he hadn't braced himself for the motion. As he fell, she too attempted to move out of the way but she was too slow.

The sword sliced right into the girl, lodging itself across her torso between her chest. The momentum from the throw had also caused her to stumble back towards the edge of the bridge. As she was losing blood, her sight began to blur as she tried to speak but it came out as a mumble as she lost her footing and fell off of the bridge into the water below it, leaving a small puddle of blood behind.

Zabuza cursed as his sword hit the girl instead of the intended target. 'Eh.. At least I got one of those rat's he thought to himself before his body went numb as it finally succumbed into its injuries.

As Sakura's comatose body splashed into the water, her fellow teammates had just dispatched the remaining ninjas serving as mercenaries hired to finish Zabuza's job - taking the bridge builder's head as a trophy.

"Aw man that was awesome!" Naruto yelled as he fell onto his back, breathing heavily, having exerted himself from his fight with Haku to the other mercenaries whose bodies now lay before him.

"For once, you say something that I can agree to Naruto" Sasuke said as he gave his signature smirk before collapsing next to his teammate, him too exhausted.

Looking at the two, Kakashi couldn't help himself to scratching the back of his head in amazement of his rookie team.

"Well come on guys let's clean up and help the bridge builder with whatever he needs before we head home" Kakashi stated before he began to turn around.

Due to the sudden impact the bridge builder faced from Sakura throwing him down his head had slammed into the concrete knocking him out as he's not use to the amount of pressure that went to his head.

"What the fu-!" Kakashi stopped himself short before he swore infront of his students as he looked at the scene behind him. The bridge builder apparently knocked out and Sakura missing.

The others too turned around after hearing Kakashi speak.

"What the.. WHERE'S SAKURA?!" Naruto shouted as he stood up on his feet quickly forgetting his exhaustion. Sasuke followed his motion, also standing up glancing around the make-shift battlefield. As he did he noticed a small pool of blood to the right of the bridge builder's body, indicating an injury.

"Kakashi-sensei there's a pool of blood by the bridge builders body!" Sasuke quickly shouted as he stated his observation.

As he spoke, Kakashi made his way to the blood before kneeling next to it, swiping his right index and middle fingers through it, rubbing the tips of it together.

"It's a bit sticky, luke warm.. Whatever happened was done while we were fighting the mercenaries.." he murmured.

Naruto began to run/ stumble to his sensei as realization begins to creep upon them all. "Kakashi-sensei you don't think this is Sakura's do you?!" the young boy yelled as his eyes began to widen.

"Well we can't be sure..." Kakashi said as he gave a visual sweep around the bridge.

"Wait.. It appears Zabuza's sword is missing". With a brief pause, he quickly pulled out a scroll, unrolling it in the process, and swiped his right thumb across his chest wound, leaving blood on the tip. Swiping the blood onto the scroll, he rolled it back up and held it between his hands as he completed a variety of hand signs.

Slamming the scroll into the ground, "Ninja Art - Summoning Earth Style: Fang Pursuit Jutsu!"  
As Kakashi yelled this, multiple markings shot across the ground asa large ball of smoke shot up from the ground in the center of the markings. As the smoke began to clear, you can clearly see multiple sets of ears and paws, leading to the confirmation of eight Ninken (A/I) with blue bandanas' tied around their neck. Each dog differed in size, color and breed. One even wearing sunglasses.

"Kakashi what do you need" the smallest of the bunch spoke as he glanced up at his owner.

He glanced at the small pug before him that spoke. "Pakkun, Sakura's gone missing and I fear for the worst."

"Sakura? That's unusual of her. Do you have a scent or something that we can use?" the dog spoke quickly with urgency.

"A pool of blood is all I can provide for the moment." Kakashi stated as he nodded to the evidence.

"It'll do for now" Pakkun said as he and the other ninken crowded around it to get the girls scent. "We'll let you know what we find, if we find anything at all, and report back".

With a nod Kakashi sent the dogs away to search while he attempted to wake the bridge builder up.

"Kakashi-sensei why're we just standing around?! Sakura needs us!" Naruto yelled as he threw his arms up into the air with frustration.

"With the state each of us are in now, we wouldn't be any use to Sakura. Our chakra levels are low and our bodies have almost reached their physical limitations. If we continue to over exert ourselves we won't do anything but kill ourselves" Kakashi stated to both of the boys.

"The only thing we can do right now is rest up while the ninken do their job. I believe we'll be fine by tomorrow morning. If you want rto find Sakura you have to be in top condition Naruto" the copy-ninja briefly stated as he gingerly pulled the bridge builders body up and leaned his body into his own.

With a grim look, Naruto's hands formed fists at his sides from the anger of not being able to look for his team mate and crush, Sakura Haruno. Noticing this, Sasuke placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and squeezed it.

"Dope don't worry. We'll find her" he muttered to him in comfort before following Kakashi back to the bridge builders home.

Looking up at both Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke's backs, Naruto glanced at the drying blood..

"I hope your right.." he muttered, biting his bottom lip before he too walked off to follow his team.

A/I – Ninken are ninja dogs

-Well how was that for a beginner? Review, review, review! It's appreciated to the fullest and I'll love you forever and ever.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey you guys! Chapter two as promised! How do you guys like it so far? Please read, read, read and read again! Then review, favorite, follow and all that other good stuff. Ciaossu - ^^

A loud crash could be heard within a forest two to three miles from the Land of Waves bordering bridge.

"That a boy Akamaru!" a male voice shouted as the noise created by the echo died down. The area that laid out in front of the said male was covered in broken tree bark and leaves as a result of their training of a new technique that was taught to them both prior to leaving their village. Barks of excitement were heard throughout the area as the pup finally succeeded with their training exercise.

A young male, around 6'ft tall stood upon a tree branch as his companion stood below him. A few playful barks were given by Akamaru as he stood below his master, before whining about wanting to clean up. Jumping from the branch onto the forest ground below him, the young male tossed a dog treat to Akamaru before nodding his head giving his permission for a quick dip in the nearby river. After Akamaru demolished the treat with hunger, they both took off for the river that was only an estimated half mile away.

Reaching the river, it gave off a chilly mist, instantly cooling the pair before Akamaru ran forward and dived into it.

"Woah slow down boy" he said as he began to chuckle at his pups antics before he stripped himself of everything besides his boxers, following Akamaru into the water.

Around ten minutes after swimming and playing around, Akamaru began to bark loudly as he jumped onto the other side of the river, shaking himself dry before he trotted down a few trees to a shadowed figure.

The male, not knowing what Akamaru was barking about instantly went on defense as he narrowed his eyes and sniffed the air to get a sense of his surroundings. Not sensing anything, he lowered his guard for a moment only to swim to the edge of the river before getting himself out, trotting after Akamaru as he shook water out of his unruly hair.

"What you got there boy?" the young male spoke in a jovial manner as he closed in on his pup. Akamaru whined some as he lowered his nose to sniff the said object.

"Eh…" the young male said as he lowered himself near his pup to get a better look at what laid in front of his eyes. A young girl laid beneath the uprooted tree that rested on the bank of the river, the lower half of her body still immersed in the water. She had long hair colored a vibrant pink, like bubblegum. Her lips had a light shade of blue hinting across them while skin was sickly pale, showing that she indeed needed medical attention.

He bent his head a few centimeters lower as he sniffed the scent of the girl, realizing that she was still alive, barely if anything. Extending his arm, he grabbed the arm of the girl and traced his fingers down her arm to her wrist where he gently held it to see how strong of a pulse she had. 'It's fairly weak, whatever happened, she's been here for some hours..' With a gleam of determination in his eye, he decided to try and save her. Glancing at his companion, he gave a slight nod to him confirming what he could have possibly already been thinking.

Turning around with a sudden quickness, the male stood only to bend his legs slightly as he began to focus bits of chakra at his feet before he used it to hop completely over the river, landing right in front of his belongings. Dressing quickly, he repeated the same maneuver, this time landing right beside the young woman. Gently pulling her out the water, he discarded his jacket, wrapping it around her frail body as he then lifted her into his arms, bridal style.

With a quick whistle to his companion ordering him to follow, he jumped to the other side of the river for the last time before taking off into the tree tops with the young girl in his arms.

Meanwhile…

A fist slammed down onto the wooden table that sat in a condensed area that was considered to be the kitchen. All seven heads turned to the corner of the table where the young Naruto stood, bending over slightly as his fist rested upon the table surface.

"That's garbage Kakashi-sensei and you know it!" he yelled, his blue eyes blazing with fury. He glanced around at the faces in the room before speaking again.

"You know as well as I do that Sakura can't simply be dead or floating down at the bottom of the ocean! She's too smart for something like that to even allow that to happen to her! And for you to say that because Zabuza's sword was missing is nothing! For all we know one of those ninja could of easily taken it!" as the male spoke, his arms moved in a blur as he acted with his emotions, showing his anger at the possibility that his teammate as well as his childhood crush could be dead.

On the side of him sat a composed Uchiha, his arms crossed in front of his chest and eyes closed as he sat there listening to his teammate. The bridge builder, his daughter and nephew sat at the other end of the table, they too listening to Naruto's outburst at the possibilities that they've been faced with for Sakura. Sighing, Kakashi held his hand in front of his face only to extend his fingers to his eyelids, massaging them slowly before he spoke.

"Naruto, calm down and think rationally. Yes your statement does have some validity in it as it's true, a ninja could have picked up Zabuza's sword but you have to be aware of your surroundings as well as your battlefield. If both you and Sasuke were in front of me at the time, there's no way a ninja would have gotten to Zabuza because I stood behind you both, and with Zabuza's body yards away behind us, they wouldn't have gotten past me quick enough to even have the thought of grabbing it" Kakashi spoke as he raised his eye to Naruto's, holding his stare.

"Still Kakashi-sensei you sent your own pack of trained ninken to search for her! They had a scent so it shouldn't have been hard to try and pick up on it! Blood carries and ju-" Naruto was cut off as a growl echoed within the room.

A small brown pug hopped up onto the table and sat in front of Kakashi yet faced both Naruto and Sasuke. "Naruto you brat, do not underestimate the nose of a ninken! As Kakashi said you must think! If it's true that her body fell into the water it is possible to not be able to find her. Her scent went away as soon as she hit since it cleansed her body of dirt and blood. Now we're not saying she is dead but it is a high possibility that we may not be able to find her".

With a defeated look plastered on his face, Naruto looked away from everyone in the room his small hands curling into fists at his sides as he balled and un-balled them, trying to calm himself down as the reality of the situation as well as factors he didn't think about began racing through his head.

"At this point, all we can do is go home and speak with the Hokage to pull a search party out for her. We've officially wrapped up our mission of protecting the bridge builder as well as helping complete the bridge so I do believe that he can grant us that one wish" Kakashi glanced at everyone around the room, nodding his head to the bridge builder in acknowledgement with him returning the gesture in understanding before he stood.

"Now Kakashi I'll be going, keep me updated with the progress of her search if anything" Pakkun spoke as he turned his furry head to glance at his partner before raising his right arm in a salute before disappearing in a small ball of smoke.

As the smoke dispersed, Sasuke stood up as well as Naruto, both nodding in thanks to the bridge builder for offering his home to them before they walked off to gather their belongings. As the two walked off to one of the rooms located in the back of the home, Naruto bit his tongue in irritation as he grabbed Sasuke's right shoulder and spun him around to face him.

"Sasuke you bastard how can you just walk and talk calmly about this situation like you don't feel any type of emotion! Sakura was your teammate just as much as she was mine yet you act as if it's nothing?!" Naruto shouted.

Sasuke's eyes danced across Naruto's face before responding with a simple 'tch', raising his right hand to his shoulder, smacking Naruto's hand away.

"You're such an idiot Naruto. We are ninja and as ninja, we are disposable. We fight and complete missions for the safety of our village and the villages that have made ties with us as well. You know just as well as I do that with every mission that we take outside the village it's a chance that we may not come back. Yet you act as if you've never heard or seen a person die right in front of you! There were plenty of ninjas killed or missing in action before us and we certainly won't be the last. Grow up and take on your responsibility" Sasuke stated as he stared Naruto down. Without a second thought, he turned and walked into the room that they shared and began to pack his things.

Naruto stood there in the hallway as Sasuke had begun to prepare his belongings and thought about what both he and Kakashi had said to him. They made his argument seem so childish that it hurt. He felt as if he was the only one who truly cared about Sakura. His left arm shot out to the wall, punching it out of aggravation and defeat before he lowered his head and joined Sasuke in packing their belongings.

With a final goodbye, the Leaf shinobi began their trip back home as they walked across the bridge with Sasuke and Naruto in front of Kakashi. As they walked past the spot where Sakura's blood sat in a small puddle once before, Naruto blinked a few times as he tried to stop the tears that were threatening to drop.

'Sakura.. I hope you're still out there, somewhere. Please be safe.. I know you wouldn't let yourself get killed..' Naruto thought as they kept moving on towards home.


	3. Chapter 3

Back with chapter 3 as promised! I would like to personally thank each and every one of you that favorited, followed, and reviewed my story. You don't know what it's like to wake up to awesome comments and seeing people interested in what you write! All it did was fuel me to try and update faster and I promise not to disappoint. And FYI- I'm changing certain key events and this village is not Konoha. -^^

A dull sound could be heard echoing throughout the empty room. Multiple monitors and cords laid around the small hospital bed that was placed in the center of the room. Positioned on the bed was the frail body of the girl that the young male had found lying partially in the river just miles from his camp post.

Once he had arrived at camp, he quickly yelled to grab his team leader's attention. Glancing at the girl, he looked over her body once before taking the girl without and further hesitation and transported himself to their village with the help of a scroll kept in his vest jacket for times like these.

Now in this hospital room her body laid, her ruined clothing discarded and replaced with a hospital gown. Different cords were hooked up to different machinery then hooked to her body to keep tabs on her heart beat and given an oxygen mask to help her maintain a steady flow of oxygen throughout her body.

Foot steps could be heard walking down the hallway to the young girls room as well as small voices. The door to the room slid open as a male doctor and two female nurses walked into the room. The doctor, Mr. Takushi stood at the foot of the girl's bed as the two nurses made themselves busy by checking the machinery surrounding the bed, changing the girls oxygen tank, and refilling her iv drop.

"Hm...".. Mr. Takushi hummed as he grabbed the clipboard at the end of the bed rail.

"Haruno, Sakura. Aged 13. DOB 28th March. Genin from the Leaf Village" Mr. Takushi read aloud but more specifically to himself. As he continued to read her chart, he scanned across the list of her physical wounds before seeing at the end of the list 'large abrasion from the shoulder to the waist'.

Glancing at the girl, he placed the clipboard on a seat next to the wall before rolling up the sleeves of his medical coat to his forearms, "Nurse Ami, I need you to unclothe the girl so that I may see the wound stretched across her upper body".

With a quick nod, the brown haired nurse began to gently move Sakura's body with the help of the other nurse in the room to show the wound across her body while trying to at least cover her chest partially.

With a few steps, Mr. Takushi stood over the girl before he placed his hands inches above her body. His chakra, being seafoam green in color left his hands as it made its way towards the wound on the girl. As it began to touch her body, the chakra flared a vibrant red before dispersing in front of the doctor and nurses faces. With a look of confusion, Mr. Takushi tried another two times only to have the results stay the same – her body isn't accepting his healing chakra.

Everyone stepped back in astonishment as nothing in medical history has happened like this before to their knowledge. With determination, Mr. Takushi tried another two more times before grunting in frustration. Pulling a pen out of the breast pocket on his medical coat, he made a few notes on her chart.

"Nurse Harumi, summon the clan heads throughout the village as well as the Daimyo" and with a quick nod, the other nurse, a black haired woman excused herself as she disappeared in a cloud of smoke, proceeding to complete her errand.

With a confusing and questioning glance, Mr. Takushi stared at Sakura before ordering nurse Ami to cover her up and slowly walked out of the room and into his office on the floor above to check the medical history to see what he could figure out on this new development.

So what do you guys think so far? Hmm.. Makes me wonder what's going to happen in the next chapter. And a Daimyo is a feudal lord so in a sense he/she has the same power as a Hokage but has a somewhat smaller village than any of the Hidden Villages yet it can be on par with them in some sense. Ciao-^^


	4. Chapter 4

You guys must realize that I LOVE YOU because I'm updating two chapters in one day and I have to work today lol. But I hope this chapter does offer some insight. There's so many ways I can take this buttttttt I have one way in mind. I hope not to disappoint. Enjoy! -^^

A barrage of figures hopped from roof top to roof top as they made a beeline for the daimyo's palace in the back of the village. With haste they swiftly made their way inside and up the flight of stairs that rested in the center of the first floor of the palace and made their way to the blue room that was set up in the far left side of the second floor. A large circular table sat in the center of the said room with black seats placed neatly around it spaced apart for each individual with the daimyo's seat perched at the head of the table facing the door.

With the twelve figures seated around the table, they each turned to one another with questioning glances, wondering what the reason could be for their summoning but only knowing that it was an urgent matter.

Before they could discuss ideas with one another, the large double doors open to show no one other than their daimyo accompanied by her assistant and one of the best doctors in the village, Mr. Takushi. She took her seat at the head of the table, with her assistant standing on her left and the doctor standing on her right before looking around the room. Sitting back, she nodded her head towards her assistant to begin speaking.

"Good evening everyone" Shizune said as she nodded her head to everyone in greeting.

"On behalf of the daimyo I would like to apologize for pulling you each from your homes at such a late hour but it is of an important matter that we must discuss with you" as Shizune finished talking, the daimyo nodded her head on cue to the doctor, allowing him to speak.

"At twelve hundred hours today we received a patient by the name of Haruno, Sakura in our hospital today. At first we believed for her to be just like any other ninja that comes in with an injury except hers was of a magnitude that I've never laid eyes on for a Kunoichi of her age" pausing for a second, a large screen slid down the wall behind the three figures. As the screen illuminated, it showed a still image of Sakura's hospital room before the doctors entered.

"At fifteen hundred hours today two nurses, Ami and Harumi along with me entered her room. This is a video taping of the events that happened while I attempted to administer aid to her wound" Mr. Takushi stated. Holding the remote in his hand, he clicked the play button as he relived the situation once more.

After clicking play, the daimyo spun her chair around to re-watch the video that she had also viewed multiple times while everyone laid their eyes on it for the first time. As Mr. Takushi rested his hands above her wound to treat it, audible gasps could be heard throughout the room as they watched before their eyes the girl's body reject his chakra.

When the video finished, Mr. Takushi clicked the power button cutting it off before the projection screen was pulled up. Turning her chair once more, the daimyo now faced the twelve clan heads in the room before she began to speak.

"What transpired on that video tape with Ms. Haruno is widely known as chakra refusal. Chakra refusal is very rare as it should only be able to occur within clans that are wary on being healed by outsiders. But in this case, Ms. Haruno is no more than a simple Genin with no family bloodlines nor is she in a clan as said from her file. Just a regular shinobi with - what her file says- great chakra control" everyone stared at their daimyo in understanding, waiting for her to continue.

"And because of the rarity, it makes it difficult for me, one of the best medical ninja throughout the country to even treat her" as the daimyo revealed this everyone within the room held a shocked expression upon their faces as jaws dropped and eyes widened.

Chucking just a bit at the responses, the daimyo continued, "but I do have a possible solution. As I mentioned previously chakra refusal only happens through people within clans so it's possible that what we have on her from medical databases could just be formal and it's possible that there may be classified intel on her background. So I propose that while it is uncertain that it may work? I need for each and everyone one of you to take a look at the girl and possibly inject your chakra to see if her body will accept or reject it".

As soon as she finished, a few objections rang throughout the room.

"But Tsunade-sama! What could this possibly prove or even lead to! Most of us don't even know how to heal outside of regular medical aid so this could backfire!" a young male yelled as he stood up, slamming his right hand on the table for emphasis.

"Rashi that may be true but if it works then it's possible that someone may actually have an additional family member. You have to remember that even if you hold a position of clan head you do not know how long you've been here for many clans in this village didn't originate here so it's possible that members could have been scattered somewhat" Tsunade countered.

"Now for the rest of you, no more butts or oppositions or else!" Tsunade yelled as she stood up, a strong glare plastered on her face showing that she meant business.

"Tomorrow at ten hundred hours report to the hospital, for Mr. Takushi and I will be waiting. Dismissed" and with a simple wave of her arm, she began to walk around the room to exit, walking to her own office with Shizune in tow.

"Shizune!"

"Ah yes Tsunade-sama!" Shizune straightened her pose as she stood at the door way to Tsunade's office.

"Bring me some sake.." and with that Tsunade collapsed into her chair as she rubbed her temples in exhaustion.

Well, thoughts? Please review and everything else! Sorry to leave you at a little bit of a cliffy but there's a LOT of exciting events coming. Ciao-^^


	5. Chapter 5

In the middle of the night, a creak was heard as the window to Sakura's hospital room opened slowly as to not awaken anyone that would be within the vicinity. With a few steps into the room, a hand slowly traveled onto the rail at the foot of Sakura's bed while she's sleeping in her comatose state. With a grim line sketched across the individual's face, she gripped the edge of the rail in confusion and disbelief before making baby steps to the head of the bed, resting the back of her right hand against Sakura's cheek, caressing it slowly. However, as she did she unknowingly began to transfer a small piece of chakra to the girl's body, causing a spark to be created, sending a mini jolt of electricity through both of their bodies.

The figure straightened up quickly, rubbing her right hand with care before something in the air caught her attention. With a quick sniff of her nose, she stepped back, being flooded with waves of emotion and recognition before turning towards the window, jumping out of it with ease, leaving the girl's room as it was before she visited.

The next day, the hospital staff moved around wildly in attempt to prepare themselves for the visit of the Daimyo and the twelve clan heads of the village to their most recent patient. Right as the nurses finished with their preparations and cleaning of the hospital wing Sakura stayed in, the doors to the hospital opened exactly at ten hundred hours as the clan heads made their way into the building.

With a nervous smile, two nurses escorted the group of shinobi upstairs to the room adjacent to Sakura's makeshift bedroom. In the room sat multiple chairs and a table, with cups of coffee and breakfast items sitting on it, available to everyone in the room. The group of shinobi each took a seat, everyone's face flooded with emotion while a particular one looked stoic, even though his lower facial features were covered, almost as if this situation didn't bother him at all. Only thirty minutes later did the Daimyo walk in, her short heels clicking on the tiled floor as she walked, Shizune trailing behind her with her clipboard in hand.

"Goodmorning everyone, glad to see you all here" Tsunade greeted with a gentle smile before walking over to the table loaded with refreshments. After fixing a small cup of coffee, she sipped it slowly, savoring the warmth of the beverage as it flowed through her body before speaking.

"Shizune, let me see the clipboard as well as Sakura's background information and the condensed files that we have on everyone here today" Tsunade stated before taking another sip of coffee.

"Yes my lady" with a curt reply, Shizune handed Tsunade the documents in the order that she asked slowly, allowing her to look over one before handing her the next. As Tsunade read over the first set, she glanced around the room at everyone before speaking.

With a clap of her hands, everyone in the room glanced up at Tsunade, waiting for her to speak.

"Before we start, is there anything that anyone wishes to get off their chest?" Tsunade asked.

Looks were exchanged and glances were met with wary looks before everyone remained silent.

"Great looks like this won't be difficult. Now today, the only thing that I need is for everyone to just do one simple thing, try to inject your chakra into Ms. Haruno. All we're looking for is a sign to see if her body will react to it. And if it does, how will it react? Will it be the same as Mr. Takushi's incident or something better? That's it. What we spoke about yesterday still stands in the air though; it's possible that the young girl in that room may just be a relative that you never knew about" as Tsunade finished, the faces around the room remained the same before she even started talking – grim.

"Don't fret though, this is just preliminary work. So let's begin, Aburame, Shibi shall we?" Tsunade asked with a smile. With a grunt, Shibi stood up, his arms bent as his hands rested in the pockets of his hooded jacket. He followed Tsunade across the hall to the young girl's room. Pulling his right hand out of his pocket, he slowly brought it a few inches above her arm before repeating the doctor's movements from the previous day.

As his blue chakra escaped the tips of his fingers, it flowed out to her skin. A look of interest flashed across both Tsunade and Mr. Takushi's faces as his chakra slowly began to interact with her. Mr. Takushi began to write notes before something happened – Shibi's chakra dispersed into the air, changing red in color as it did. The bug user grunted in mock surprise before he took a step back, glancing at Tsunade.

"Alright Shibi, thank you, you may leave" Tsunade said, nodding at him while writing small observations next to his file. "Next!" she yelled.

After seven more tries, they all ended in failure. The hope of success became grim as Tsunade chewed on the top of the pen she held before scribbling once again next to another name.

"Next, Inuzuka, Tsume" Tsunade pursed; hearing her name, Tsume stood slowly and walked into the room. Cracking her knuckles, she wiggled her fingers slightly to prepare herself for what is about to happen, already knowing the outcome. As she outstretched her hand to the girl's, she stood on edge, hoping that she wouldn't get shocked again even though she probably deserved it. She released her chakra through her finger tips slowly, watching for any signs of change.

The room was so quiet that the sound of a bed squeaking from two doors down could be heard. Eyes lit up in shock and amazement as their questions have finally been answered. Tsume's chakra wasn't rejected! Instead, it flowed into Sakura's body briefly before Tsume stopped and took a step back, her eyes analyzing Sakura's body as two red fangs appeared on her cheeks.

"Mr. Takushi, dismiss everyone in the other room" Tsunade muttered slowly. With a slow nod, the doctor began to move his body to carry out the command even though he was still amazed by the outcome.

"Shizune!" Tsunade yelled. As she did, Shizune quickly ran to her side, ready for orders.

"I need you to fetch the medical ninja's that work with every Inuzuka – including Hana Inuzuka" Tsunade said as she furiously jotted down notes on her clipboard.

"Ya m'lady" Shizune muttered as she disappeared in a fury of smoke. Tsume glanced around the empty room before once more her eyes rested on Saukra Haruno.. No, Minaya Inuzuka.

Hmm… I have to pat myself on the bat for I even impress myself sometimes. Everyone what do you think?! I bet no one saw it coming! Well, read, review, favorite, follow cause it means a lot to me. Let's look forward to chapter six. And from now on ALL author note's will be at the bottom of each chapter. And check out the other story that I posted called 'Expecting the Unexpected' it's an Inuyasha fic with some K-POP influence. Ciao-^^


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note

Sorry for not updating the past few weeks everyone! Between working and other things my time has been cut down immensely. If you haven't noticed, I'm starting to write yet another story but it's an Inuyasha one. So if you would check it out that would mean the world to me. And I've noticed how my chapters in this story are actually short when I previously thought they were long or too much, so I'm going to write them way longer now. Oh before I forget, updating, I'll try to update every other week or as soon as possible. I'll also begin doing POVs so you'll know whose perspective I'll be speaking from. For the month of November, it'll be difficult to update because I've entered a book writing contest that's for the entire month. My pen name is the same for there as it is on here, so if you want to check it out, just ask! -^^ Thank you all, I wouldn't have inspiration without you. Now on to the story!

_**Naruto POV**_

_It's been two months, two months since Sakura disappeared on our mission. Two months since I've seen her face and large forehead. Two months of her not being here to scold me or hit me for commenting on her bragging about Sasuke when he's nothing compared to me. It's been.. Two agonizing long months of not being able to see the girl I've been in love with since my time at the academy._

A tear escaped from his eye, sliding down his left cheek. Instead of wiping it away, he let it fall, running down onto his top lip. Sticking his tongue out, he licked the salty mark, wiping it away slowly as he ran his left hand through his blonde locks. In frustration he raised his right arm, slamming his fist against the wall as the tears he held back for those two weeks finally escaped out into the open. Because he held back his emotions in front of everyone since they've returned from the Wave Country, they came out in abundance leaving him in a mourning state of mind until he drifted to sleep.

The sun beamed into Naruto's apartment window as he opened his eyes lazily. With a few blinks, he sat up, shirtless with only a pair of shorts on, his blonde hair all over the place due to his rough sleeping. Yawning loudly, he stood up, stretching his legs and arms as he did before walking to the bathroom to prepare himself for the day.

'_Oi.. I feel like shit_' Naruto thought to himself as he ran a wet towel across his face. While he continued to get himself prepared for the day, a slow three knocks on his door sent him sliding out of the bathroom, toothbrush in his mouth as he struggled with putting on his navy blue under shirt and walking to the door. As Naruto opened the door halfway, he realized who it was and pulled it open all the way before turning around and make his way back to the bathroom to finish brushing his teeth.

"So Sasuke, to what do I owe this early morning visit?" Naruto asked in a gurgle as he was washing the toothpaste out of his mouth. The said male stepped into the medium sized apartment, closing the door with his foot, his hands resting in the pockets of his white colored shorts. Pulling his right hand out of his pocket, Sasuke placed it on the back of one of the wooden chairs belonging to the kitchen table before pulling it out and gracefully sitting down in it.

"We have a meeting with the Hokage and Kakashi so I was asked to come get you, seeing as Kakashi keeps himself wrapped up in those perverted books that he reads" Sasuke said while glancing around Naruto's apartment.

"Woah, this early though? I wonder why" Naruto grunted as he finished cleaning up his mess in the bathroom before stepping out, fully clothed in his orange jump suit pants and navy blue under shirt.

"Probably to discuss our team and the fact that we're a teammate short; they probably think that it's about time we need a replacement" Sasuke replied, shrugging before standing up. As Sasuke spoke, Naruto bit his tongue, lowering his head in thought as he thought about the past few weeks of missions without Sakura and the continuous tips of possibly sighting her only for it to lead to a dead end. Yet, Naruto refused to believe that Sakura was gone unlike Sasuke whom just stayed nonchalant about his view but did voice that he grew tired of searching for someone that apparently doesn't want to be found. _'Hmph you would think he could care more about a girl that he was teammates with and had wanted his attention all the time'_ Naruto thought to himself.

"I guess, let's get going" Naruto muttered to Sasuke as he grabbed his jacket off of one of the hooks placed on the wall by the entrance while at the same time sliding down into his shoes. Sasuke slowly followed, both of his hands back to resting in the pockets of his shorts as he trailed after Naruto, closing the door behind them both. Naruto stood at the end of the walk way, waiting for Sasuke as he slid his jacket on. With a nod, they both were off, hopping across rooftops as they quickly began heading for the Hokage tower.

_**Kakashi's POV**_

Kakashi stood in the hallway leading to the Hokage's office, leaning on the wall space next to the office door. His left arm rested under his right arm as he held his right arm up, the sequel to the first Icha Icha novel open in his right hand, his thumb resting between the pages of where he was currently reading to keep his place in the book. He chuckled lightly to himself, laughing at a small scene in the book before his cheeks began to turn a light shade of red from the mature content he began to read. Because he was so caught up, he didn't notice that both Sasuke and Naruto had come up the set of stairs on the right end of the hallway. With a sneaky grin on his face, he slowly, like a bug, began to make his way to Kakashi. Sasuke stood back and slowly shook his head at his idiot of a teammate, already knowing what's in store for Naruto.

As Kakashi was nearing the end of the page, his face was in full creep mode as he began to snicker to himself, his mind reeling with the perverted words printed before him. As soon as Kakashi began to reach to turn the page, Naruto leaped up, snagging the book from Kakashi. With a snicker, Naruto jumped a few feet away from Kakashi, his thumb holding the book open from where Kakashi just was.

Naruto turned his back and began to read the words out loud from the book but before he could get a single syllable out, Kakashi swiftly came up behind him, index fnger's from both of his hands pointed out as he clasped his hands together. With a quick motion, he stuck the two fingers into the crack of Naruto's butt, causing Naruto to yell and swear as he shot through the window of the Hokage Tower, his hands holding his butt cheeks.

With a laugh, Sasuke then walked up to Kakashi's side as they both watched Naruto come down face first into one of the large trees in the front of the tower. Kakashi smacked his hands together in triumph as Sasuke bent down to grab his book, holding it out for Kakashi to grab.

"Ah why thank you Sasuke" Kakashi said in a monotone voice as he grabbed the closed book from him. With a thump and a throaty whine, Naruto pulled himself up the last few steps of the same staircase that he and Sasuke had traveled up previously.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto half yelled as he stood up.

"What Naruto, a little sore? That'll teach you to sneak up on your sensei without having your guard up at the same time. Remember, you have to think like a ninja with everything you do. Stealth being one of the most important things" Kakashi stated as he scolded Naruto. With a groan, he just stale faced Kakashi. They were talking so much that they didn't even notice the door to the Hokage's office had opened, not only that but the Hokage stood at the door himself. With the clearing of his throat, he got the three ninja's attention that stood outside of his office.

"Why do you three come in? I've been patiently waiting" the Third said as he took a few steps back, opening the door fully. With a short bow, they each gave their apologies and stepped into the Third's office. As they stepped into the office, Sasuke and Naruto took notice of another individual, a boy, seemingly around their age. Naruto furrowed his brows' assuming what this meeting could be about while Sasuke wore a look of indifference. With a light cough, the Third closed his office door and slowly made his way to his seat behind his desk. He took a seat and reached for his pipe and lit it before he began to speak.

"Well, Team 7, it's come to my attention as well as the other sensei's and elder's that a new teammate is needed. As you know, you graduated a three man celland completed a variety of missions together. While doing so, you then lost a teammate, whom has been either deemed missing or KIA [killed in action] so therefore we shall partner you with a new teammate from the Root division" the Third spoke. With a look in the boy's direction, he nodded to him, signaling for him to introduce himself.

"Hello, my name is Sai" he said while trying to smile but instead gave off a stiff smirk. Sai slowly bowed briefly in greeting. Sasuke and Kakashi both gave their introductions, leaving Naruto to do his. They each stood there, staring at Naruto before he began to speak.

"Gramps, I don't get it. Why is it that we're giving up on her and it's only been two months? Have we even been able to scout through the entire area?! I think it's too early for this" Naruto yelled.

Not surprised at his outburst, the Third simply shook his head in response to Naruto's response.

"That may be so, yet we still have to carry on with our duties, I as Hokage and you and your fellow teammates as a three man cell along with your sensei Kakashi. There are complicated things that happen throughout our lives, even traumatic, yet to become a stronger ninja, you must take that and mold yourself to be stronger so that in the future you could prevent things like this" the Third stated as he then raised his pipe to his lips, puffing from it a few times.

"Fine, but gramps promise me that you'll continue the search for her!" Naruto pleaded. With a nod of his head, he stood, his pipe resting between his lips as he made his way around his desk to Naruto. He grabbed both of the boy's hands and held them in his own.

"Naruto, I promise you that I will do everything within my power to possibly bring Sakura back" he said with determined look. Naruto smiled briefly before pulling the Third into a hug.

"Gramps you're awesome! Yes!" Naruto yelled jumping up and down. Caught up in the joy of the Third's promise, he even greeted Sai, shaking his hand and everything before sliding out of the room. With a wave of his hand, which Sasuke knew all too well, he turned to leave, Sai right behind him as Kakashi stayed back. As soon as the office door was closed and footsteps could no longer be heard, the Third turned his back to Kakashi as he took a few steps to the window behind his desk. He continued to smoke through his pipe as he watches the newly constructed Team 7 leave the building.

"Kakashi".. the Third muttered. Kakashi stood still, waiting for the Third to finish speaking.

"I have whereabouts of Sakura. It could be nothing yet it was from a colleague I haven't seen for quite some time who in the past was very valuable with information. He spoke and said 'the girl with the bubblegum colored hair you search for is in the Land of Kemuri', which is led by no one other than Tsunade."

"Eh.. Tsunade-chan I wonder how she's been after all these years" Kakashi questioned.

"Furthermore, you are to take Sasuke, Naruto and Sai with you and I'll send an anbu team as back up just in case the information turns out to be invaluable" the Third said and with a quick nod of understanding, Kakashi was off.

"Let's see if this time they'll really come back with Sakura"..

While the three ninja were walking through town, a whirl of leaves spun around the three before Kakashi appeared before them, kneeling.

"Boys, get ready, we have a mission, meet at the gate in 45 minutes" Kakashi stated before disappearing once again.

Naruto frowned as Kakashi took off. "He always gives us a time but ends up late" he said.

"No use in complaining, let's go" Sasuke muttered before jumping into the air, using the rooftops as transportation to his home so he can prepare himself. Naruto bid farewell to Sai before doing the same thing, leaving Sai to sit there by himself.

'Hm.. I wonder if this is what I should call the start of my own mission' he thought as he stared at the ground. 'Oh well, let's go' and with that he too hopped off to his temporary home.

Author's Note

How was that eh? Hope you all are pleased and I apologize for the late update, please don't hurt me. v.v and Kemuri is Japanese for 'smoke'. I want to thank everyone who continuously comments and favorite and follow my stories you all mean the world to me and keep me motivated to write.


	7. Chapter 7

Four shadows could be seen running through the forest in a blur, making their way through the forest surrounding Konoha. Kakashi in front, followed by Naruto, with Sai and Sasuke flanking them both as they ran in a straight line formation to carry out their objective – to bring Sakura home. It's been two days since the four of them left the village, their destination unknown to each of them except for Kakashi. Naruto, excited to get out the village with the hope of running into any intel on Sakura, left the village excitedly, while Sasuke remained with an indifferent face, paying close attention to his new teammate that wore no facial expression at all throughout the entire trip thus far, raising a little bit of suspicion.

As night began approaching, Kakashi stopped them a few miles from their destination under the false pretense of calling it a night so that they can start early in the morning. As the boys readied themselves for the night after eating their light dinner, Kakashi made sure that they were all asleep before he slowly took off into the forest before them that was shrouded in a haze of smoke.

Not one to be caught slipping, Kakashi had abandoned his Leaf village clothing at the camp sight, opting for a black colored shirt over his regular Jonin uniform and a black headband in replace of his Leaf insignia headband. Over the course of an hour, Kakashi made it through the smoke, from getting lost within it to backtracking and going in circles. As he approached the outline to the edge of the forest, he crouched down behind a tree to his left, glancing at the large gate, much like Konoha's own, with border patrol outside the walls seeming to be ninja with dogs for partners. 'That means that…'

But before Kakashi could even finish his own thought, a loud bark rang out, signaling to the other patrolmen that there's something close. The two guards and their partners quickly spread out along the perimeter using their heightened senses to find the object that caught their attention. Quickly, Kakashi turned and ran back through the smoke, finding the way he came luckily due to him marking the tree bark with his kunai as he found his way to the gate. Nearing the edge, he swiftly rolled and tucked himself into the top of a tree, hopefully out of sight, his all black outfit working to benefit him after all. Kakashi waited at least 45 minutes to an hour before he hopped out the tree and tracked his way back to camp, giving himself four hours to sleep before the crack of dawn.

Around seven in the morning, the guys woke from their slumber, the guys being Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke, noticing Sai's disappearance quickly turned his head around as his eyes swiped across the area, looking for his teammate as well as Kakashi. As Naruto turned his head to say something, he noticed how Sasuke seemed a little on edge. Without thinking, Naruto got out of his make shift bed and slinked his way over to the sharingan user.

"Oi! Sasuke, what're you looking for—" Naruto was quickly cut off as Sasuke put his hand to Naruto's mouth, silencing the boy. 'Hmph.. There's something about that boy that just rubs me the wrong way' Sasuke thought to himself before he felt something slimy run across the palm of his hand slowly. A shiver went through his body before he pulled himself away from Naruto, whom stood there grinning like a fool.

"Aish! Naruto you idiot! Why the hell did you lick me?!" Sasuke yelled as he dug through his own bag for his soap with his clean hand. Fuming, he finally found the soap and somehow grabbed his canteen with his mouth and took it upon himself to clean both of his hands.

Naruto stood there the entire time, chuckling to himself, proud of the little trouble he caused so early in the morning. Kakashi, finishing his early hunt, made his way back to the camp, his hand filled with three sets of bunny ears. As he made his way into the clearing, he noticed an angry energy wave radiating off of Sasuke, whom was giving Naruto the evil eyes; and Sai just making it back to the clearing his self.

"Naruto while you're sitting over there laughing, go grab some wood so we can cook breakfast and Sai could you join him please. Sasuke, assist me in preparing breakfast" Kakashi said with a gentle smile. Sighing, Naruto began to walk towards Sai so that they could go off together to gather some dry wood while Sasuke cleaned two kunai's and handed one to Kakashi as he walked over to him, exchanging it for a pair of furry two sat quietly, doing their chore before Sasuke was the first to speak.

"Kakashi" he spoke in a small voice.

"Yes Sasuke?"

"There's something up, with that new kid, Sai. Where's he from again?" Sasuke questioned.

"Well the Hokage said that he was from Root and lived under their teachings all his life, yet any background information is classified. Why do you ask?" Kakashi asked.

"I don't know, it's just his aura. Something just doesn't sit well with me" Sasuke answered hesitantly with his choice of wording.

"Hm.. I'm sure it's just a case of misunderstanding. Don't let it get to you too much" Kakashi replied earnestly. 'Hmm.. Sasuke too? Something's amiss with that child. What is the Hokage not telling us' he thought to himself as he finished skinning the last rabbit.

Shortly, Naruto and Sai made their way back to the camp site with a little more than enough fire wood but with it medium sized thin sticks to place through the meat and sit it up while it was cooking. Small talk was made while everyone waited for the food to cook thoroughly. After a while, it was finished and as it cooled, Kakashi divvied up equal shares for all of them and grabbed a bag of trail mix that he stashed in his bag.

"Alright guys.. Since we're this far, I'll now brief you on the mission. The results of this mission depend on your attitude and how bad you want to complete it. Sasuke, Naruto, you both surely remember how we started off as a team" Kakashi asked as he gave both of the boys questioning glances.

"Of course Kakashi-sensei! I still need to deliver payback!" Naruto answered all fired up. With a chuckle, Sasuke shook his head in agreeance, a smirk painted on his face.

"Kakashi I don't think we could ever forget that" Sasuke answered.

"Good. Well, today's mission holds the severity just as that mission did. Sai, because you weren't in attendance, just know it is a life or death mission. Today, our job is simple yet difficult – Bring Haruno, Sakura back to Konoha safely" Kakashi stated.

Naruto's jaw slightly dropped in shock at the mission they were given. For months he's been looking for Sakura so that he could bring her back and now the opportunity is within reach. Turning his shocked expression into a grin, he raised his right hand to his forehead protector, grabbing both the top and bottom of it with his thumb and index finger only to move it up and down, adjusting it.

"Kakashi-sensei, say no more! The future Hokage of Konoha is ready!" he replied fiercely.

Sasuke too, for once donned a serious face instead of one with indifference when it came to Sakura and nodded his head once, ready to start the mission as well. Sai? Well.. He just sat there, nodding his head even though he doesn't know the girl, nor does he care since he's about to begin his own mission.

Author's Note

I cut this one short on purpose since I had to get this out the way. Look at it as a cliffy/filler? :D Hope you all enjoyed cause now I'm switching POVs and a little action is about to come up. ^0^ - Diana


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